A Good Day for Monsanto & Friends in Green-lite Boulder County.

We had the chance to begin a historic movement for the People and against corporation-controlled “food” and pesticides. Instead, we made the bold choice to embrace The Man, and abdicate precedent-setting leadership. Thanks, politically-incorrect Daily Camera. Thanks, Will. Thanks, Ben. Thanks, Cindy. It must have been hard not to listen to your constituents (though, easier at the last meeting where Monsanto & Friends had reserved speaking slots up until 11:30 pm).

In a heroically bold move, all three Boulder County Commissioners—their salaries paid for by the same taxpayers who pay for Boulder’s once-inspiring Open Space program—have approved the use of Genetically-Modified-Organisms (GMOs)—plants developed and patented by Monsanto and other major out of state corps—on our public lands. All this despite common sense, which might require us to have labeled, and tested GMOs thoroughly to be safe longterm (rather, GMO crops are addicted to Monsanto/etc-owned pesticides, that they may eventually grow immune to).

Will, Cindy and Ben could have cravenly thought about eco-responsibility, public health, and the good of the next seven generations. They could have represented their constituents—you know, human beings—who have been polled against untested GMOs in overwhelming numbers. Instead, they pulled a Palin and went rogue—voting for six farmers and out-of-state Corporations’ interests instead of little things like local constituents, and Mother Earth as God gave her to us.

I hope Stephen Colbert invites them on his show—they well fit his description of heroes.

Steven Hoffman A sad day for the right to healthy food. A sad day in that a small handful of industrial agriculture corporations continue to consolidate control of our seeds, our farmland, and our food system and force upon us food that makes us sick. A sad day for Boulder – one of the hearts of the organic food industry. Aach, I'm disgusted…

Via Reddit: Small farmer here. Worked with cattle, chickens, and the whole 9 yards since I could walk. Everyone I know realizes and acknowledges just how evil Monstanto really is. And that's the only word for it. Evil. Unfortunately for farmers, there is so much risk in growing food, you don't know if you'll be able to make to it the next year or the next. One bad seasons can ruin you and the next thing you know, you've lost a farm that's 4 generations old.

If … really want to make a difference, find your local farmers and support them. We don't like Monstanto, some of us are trying really hard to get away from them, but we really need YOUR help.

With 71% of Boulder County AGAINST GMOs, we could get rid of them FAST if we had ballot initiatives on the County level. Most people are against the Afghanistan war too, but we have no ballot initiatives nationally either. We have ballot initiatives in 24 states, but the Feds keep busting legal medical marijuana users, who got that right by ballot initiative, in 10 of 16 States with it (and all the first ones) Famed former Senator Mike Gravel (who did more than anyone to end Vietnam) has the best plan to give citizens the power to make laws at ALL levels, in every locality, county, state and the nation: http://Vote.org

Ballot initiatives are the origin of most reforms, recently including publicly financed elections (passed by initiative in 7 of 8 states with such "clean" elections), medical marijuana (in 10 of 16 states with it), term limits (in 14 of 15 states with them) and increasing minimum wages (in all 6 states that tried in 2006). See http://Vote.org/initiatives for references and more examples. The media have focused on the few problem initiatives in order to please politicians, who resent sharing power with the people, and who keep the initiative process difficult for us. (It's easy for the wealthy, who also control politicians.)The most fundamental reform is NATIONAL ballot initiatives with improvements like Oregon is now using: http://HealthyDemocracyOregon.org

Evan, Thanks for this info. There isn't a single tool of democracy that we don't have to guard like Fort Knox anymore, including the citizens ballot initiative, in those states that allow it. National Ballot initiatives could, in a months time, straighten out the whole mess with which the Occupy movement is grappling so heroically. Scott Smith gets it absolutely right when he draws attention to the dangers of unelected and therefore unaccountable officials like Ron Stewart who is the defacto head of Boulder County government and sets the agendas that the rest of the county, present Commissioners included, dare not challenge. Please go to http://www.facebook.com/BoCoSustAgForum and join us in strategizing our next steps together.

Andy Acker Monsanto must have slipped them some serious cash, too. I hope you all un-elect the hell out of them.

Benjamin Fullerton Boooo!!! Does anyone still represent the people…?

Oscar Max Johanson The people represent the people. 10,000 Boulderites on the lawn would be a fine representation of public opinion. I know a guy with a big mailing list. ⬆⬆⬆

Barbara Kantor I'm quite sad and shocked at their vote. How many of the commissioners are up for re-election? I've noticed they have not been representing us…

Marlene Zaleznick This is awful

Gene Malowany Vote them out! Send a message! What a lack of vision! More importantly, not an iota of common sense. Did we really elect these idiots? Makes you wonder about that portion of Revelations that says we will destroy our food supply, doesn't it? Did they really do this after all the public outcry? If this were the 30s, they would be run out on a rail. Embarrassed to be associated with Boulder. Never thought I'd say that.

Well, I wouldn't go there. Just weeks ago we blazed our own way energy-wise to increase renewables, against 1000000 bucks of advertising via Xcel. This was a case of a very-well-organized Monsanto-and-friends vs various great but not overly cohesive, politically-savvy organizations–you know, real human beings. I'm shocked Will voted for GMOs…and saddened at the other two. We'll have to elect reps who rep, next time.

I say that without relish: I've looooved Will for many years, and Ben has never been anything but kind and cool. Don't know Cindy.